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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In "Large Bad Picture," how does Bishop portray the flying birds?
(a) As hanging in z's.
(b) As hanging in n's.
(c) As hanging in m's.
(d) As hanging in s's.

2. Why is the auntie surprised by the burglar's actions in "The Burglar of Babylon"?
(a) She is surprised he is not setting a good example for his children.
(b) He lacks the courage to break the law.
(c) She raised him to be honest.
(d) He has always had a giving nature.

3. In what city are many of the poems in North and South set?
(a) New York.
(b) Rome.
(c) Paris.
(d) London.

4. What does the poet hope to gain by knowing the answers to her questions in "Letter to N.Y."?
(a) She wants New York to seem more real.
(b) She wants to feel justified in her decision to leave New York.
(c) She wants New York to seem less real.
(d) She wants to decide whether to move to New York.

5. The structure of the poem "Visits to St. Elizabeth's" is the same as what song?
(a) The Twelve Days of Christmas.
(b) Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.
(c) This Old Man.
(d) I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly.

Short Answer Questions

1. What literary devices does Bishop employ in the poems in North and South?

2. How did the title "The Man-Moth" come to be?

3. How long did the poet actually spend in Brazil?

4. What does "Jeronimo's House" describe?

5. What accessory was Marianne Moore's trademark?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does the title of "The Man-Moth" alter the feel of the poem?

2. What two things is Bishop comparing in "Brazil, January 1, 1502"?

3. Why does "Arrival at Santos" end with the tour group heading toward the interior of Brazil?

4. In what form is "The Burglar of Babylon" written? Why does the poet use this form?

5. What is the meaning of the lines "I'm afraid if it's wheat it's none of your sowing" in "Letter to N.Y."?

6. Why does the character in "The Gentleman of Shalott" think half of him would be enough?

7. How does Bishop portray the hermit's loneliness in "Chemin de Fer"?

8. How do the poet's descriptions in "Arrival at Santos" reflect her dual state of mind?

9. How does the poet frame her journey in "Over 2,000 Illustrations and a Complete Concordance"?

10. What does the final stanza of "Insomnia" depict?

(see the answer keys)

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